In today's gospel we encounter Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. The entire gospel witness is centered on this journey of Jesus to Jerusalem.
If Jesus had not journeyed to Jerusalem, had he not completed the journey, we would be faithless.
The gospel witness always points toward Jerusalem and the events that unfold. It is in Jerusalem that we discover time and time again that Christianity begins with a martyr.
Christ embraces true freedom when he chooses to die so that others might have life.
The victory of freedom fills the pages of the gospel as Jesus journeys toward Jerusalem.
On his journey he encounters ten lepers. They begged for mercy and Jesus sends them on their way. While journeying away from Jesus, they discover they were healed. In obeying his word healing came.
The foreigner in the bunch returns giving glory. Jesus tells him he should go because his faith has saved him.
In deed his faith has saved him. His faith has saved from the despair of not having a reason for gratitude. It was his faith that taught him to say thank you. It was his faith that empowered him to turn around and journey toward the one who was journeying to Jerusalem, encountering this Jesus who set him free.
Faith leads to freedom and freedom finds its completion in gratitude.
What good is the gift without identifying the one who gives it. Faith enables us to correctly identify the giver of the gift. Jesus does not want to be an anonymous giver. He desires recognition and thanksgiving.
The ability to correctly identify the one who is the giver of such gifts, gift of life itself, is how faith saves.
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